Trials and Tribulations
by hannymae
Summary: AU. Vegeta needs to get his life together. Cabba is vertically challenged. And the rest? All brought together by a little game called volleyball. [DISCONTINUED]
1. Moving on

_**A/N: Why hello, lovely reader. It seems that you've stumbled across this fanfiction. Some of you may be here because of my other fic "Ascending". And I just want to say, I'll still be updating that story along with this one. I just had inspiration strike me and I really needed to put this down. If everything goes to plan, it'll only be around forty thousand words, give or take.**_

 _ **Just to get this over with, YES, I am going to use phrases like "senpai", "kohai", "san", "chan" ect. I don't usually do this because I find it unnecessary for Japanese to be integrated in a fanfiction otherwise written entirely in English but I feel like these phrases will just make everything flow better.**_

 _ **Yes, this is an AU where powers like chi or super saiyan strength do not exist. They might as well all be human. This fic was heavily inspired by haikyuu! and my own love for volleyball.**_

 ** _If you're not into this kind of stuff then... See you later, I guess? Or stick around and give it a try anyway._**

* * *

"You know, you should go out and do something with your life."

Vegeta sneered at his longtime rival. "Oh? As if you can talk. In case you've forgotten, we're in the same boat here, Kakarot."

Goku shook his head as he restocked some radishes. "Not really. Just because we're both working in what you call a 'dead end job' doesn't mean our circumstances are the same." He paused in his action, a radish in one hand. "I actually enjoy working here as a part-timer. But you... Why are you still here?"

"I need the extra cash. You try running a fucking cat cafe and using that income for rent."

"Aw, Vegeta! You know I don't mind paying more of my share."

"It's shameful! I will not take charity from a clown like you. So what if you work in some fancy insurance company? I will not be reduced to being helpless!"

"Yeesh, okay. I was just trying to be nice. Anyway, I was thinking more on the lines of you making something out of yourself with whatever special talent you have."

The unlikely pair were known as Son Goku and Vegeta, though the latter preferred referring to the former with his birth name: Kakarot.

"Special talent?" Vegeta grinned cockily. "I have no special talent. I'm good at everything I do."

Goku cast his friend a confused glance. "Huh? What about that time in the aquarium?"

"Kakarot! I told you to never speak of that incident ever again!"

Another individual jumped in, wearing a shit-eating grin on his face. "Ooh! You guys talkin' about Vegeta's 'unfortunate incident' at the aquarium?"

"Now look what you've done, Kakarot!"

"Whoops, sorry Vegeta." Goku sheepishly turned to his coworker. "Forget I ever said anything. Can you do that for me, Yamcha?"

"Yeah, yeah... It was pretty hilarious though."

Vegeta shot both of them a nasty glance. "If you two don't shut your traps I will rip out your spleens and make you fucking eat it!"

That was enough to make Yamcha yelp and scuttle away but Goku merely sighed and shook his head. "See? This is why you don't have any friends, Vegeta. Other than me, of course."

"Hrr... Shut up, Kakarot." He picked up an apple and started munching on it, not caring about how upset Mr Lao, the grocery store owner, would be if he saw. Goku, who was already desensitized to Vegeta's brash and flippant nature, did not bother to berate him.

"About that special talent of yours," Goku began, picking up where they had left off. "Sure you can be good at everything... But there's gotta be something that you're really, really good at."

Vegeta ignored him, knowing the answer that Kakarot was after. It was something he boasted quite often to Kakarot but he never expected his bragging to come back and bite him in the butt.

"Vegeta?" Goku's voice wafted through the air. "You know what I'm talking about."

"What of it?" Vegeta said shortly. "It's not like I can actually make a career out of it."

Goku gave Vegeta a knowing smirk, making the shorter saiyan growl.

"Alright," Vegeta said bluntly, "You know something that I don't."

"You've got me." Goku glanced around conspiratorially. "I hear that Sadala Highschool's volleyball club is looking for a new coach to whip their first years into shape. They're a little wet behind the ears, you see, compared to the veterans. And who says you can't make a career out of it? You're great at volleyball! Heck, you're better than I am."

"Tch... Do you not remember how my last professional match went?"

"They're not asking for you to play or anything. They just need someone with experience to help out." He leaned closer. "I hear that their manager is real pretty."

Vegeta deadpanned at him. "Have you forgotten about Bulma?"

"Oh, shoot, that's right! But you can still look, right?"

"I cannot believe that you are trying to tempt me with cravings of the flesh!" Vegeta pinched the bridge of his nose. "Regardless, I'll consider it..." He glanced around at the dingy market. "Anything to get out of this shithole."

* * *

Cabba glanced up in awe at the net that was looming over him. This was it. No more elementary school or middle school net heights; this was the men's official height. And his head barely skimmed the bottom of said net.

The short saiyan could barely contain his excitement but he managed as the Captain walked in, a perpetual frown etched on her visage.

She was totally unfamiliar to him, with dark, raven hair that jutted out in spikes and two bangs that curtained part of her face.

Along with Cabba, there were several other first years who had signed up for the volleyball club that year. They had all met with the Captain and the other veterans before; Cabba had arrived at Sadala High only today, having only just returned from holiday yesterday. From what he had heard during his short time here, he hadn't missed the much. Yesterday's training had been a total catastrophe according to hallway gossip.

 _Is that why she looks so mad?_ Cabba wondered as the Captain scrutinized all of them with her intense glower.

"Around half of you will be gone when this is over," the Captain told them bluntly. "Don't get your hopes up."

One of the other veterans that had entered alongside the intimidating Captain sighed. "No need to make your scary faces at them. With that attitude, none of them will want to join."

"Tch... Look at it this way, Gohan, if they back away now it only tells us that they're too pussy for it." The Captain scowled even more intently. "We like to take things serious around here when it comes to volleyball." When none of the new recruits said anything, she growled, "Well? Are you all game or what?"

"Yes sir!" All the first years aside from Cabba, who was slightly unsure how to respond, shouted.

"Good. Do not disappoint me." Her gaze shifted to Cabba. "You. You weren't here yesterday."

Cabba straightened. "No, sir, I wasn't."

"Hn. Gohan!" The Captain called the glasses-donning veteran over. "Go explain things to the greenie while I get the trials started."

"Sure." Gohan flashed her a grin. "Don't scare them too much, Caulifla."

That elicited a smirk from the frowning Captain. "We'll see."

Gohan pulled Cabba aside from the others. "Is there anything I should know before I tell you about how volleyball works around here?"

"I'm well versed with the positions, Gohan-senpai," Cabba informed the veteran. "No need to worry."

"Aha... That's the thing." Gohan pushed up his glasses before beginning his explanation. "You could know all that there is to it when it comes to volleyball, but you still wouldn't survive a day here." Gohan noticed that Cabba was beginning to falter and continued, "The Captain is what you would call a perfectionist when it comes to newcomers, especially first years. She'll come down the hardest on you since you seem to know everything theoretical about the game. So word of advice: Don't let her know. Once you gain experience in the team and become more familiar with everyone, her demeanour will melt. Trust me, kohai - we've all been there. Caulifla is actually everyone's senpai around here. Not that I approve of it but she purposely flunked her third year twice to get to keep leading us. It's a miracle in itself that the school allowed it..."

 _Maybe so,_ thought Cabba, _But I find such dedication admirable._ He grinned at Gohan. "Thanks for the advice, Gohan-senpai! I'll put it to good use!"

Gohan shook his head as he watched Cabba dash to where Caulifla was instructing the first year teams. "That kid's going to get eaten if he doesn't watch his step."


	2. Meetings

"Now pay attention," Mrs Haruka instructed as she moved the whiteboard marker up and down the whiteboard, solving a complex algebraic equation. She glanced downward at the textbook she held in one hand, her glasses slipping down her nose as she did so. "We proceed to carry the x over _here_ to make it the subject of the equation..."

Cabba yawned discreetly and tried his best to pay attention but all he could think of was this afternoon's volleyball trials. After a quick assessment of their skills, about half of them had been cut out. Cabba was amongst the few that hadn't been and were instead invited to the final deciding trial. He had not bothered to learn the names of the other first years advancing alongside him but made a note to do so.

A combination of the teacher's droning voice coming to a stop and the bell ringing had Cabba sit up with excitement, shoving all of his things into his bag. Around him, his classmates were doing the same, talking excitedly as they packed up while Mrs Haruka dismissed them.

"Kale," Mrs Haruka said, making a small, mousy looking girl with a single bang covering the side of her face look up. "Could you please come see me?"

Hesitantly, the girl in question stood up like a sloth and shuffled to the teacher's desk, artfully avoiding making any sort of physical contact with her bustling classmates.

Curioisty took over Cabba and he found himself wanting to befriend the girl, since she so obviously had none. She was just like him in that respect; he hadn't become acquainted with anyone either other than Gohan and Caulifla (the latter only to a minor extent).

So he loitered outside the classroom, listening in on the conversation between Kale and Mrs Haruka. Normally, he would never do such a thing, but if the girl was somehow in trouble then he wanted to be there to help her out.

Cabba tuned out the conversation coming from all the students as they walked along the corridors and instead strained to hear the words coming from Mrs Haruka.

"... Kale, you really are a lovely, polite student, but I'm going to have to drop you from the class if you don't improve your marks. Calculus is an incredibly complex subject and, frankly, I don't think you're up to it."

"Oh... I'm sorry, sensei... I'll do better next time." Cabba could barely hear the words come out of Kale's mouth. She had a voice that was soft, breathy and reminded him of a lamb.

"I'm glad we're on the same page here." There was a faint rustling and Cabba guessed that Mrs Haruka was sorting through some papers. "Here. A notification for the next midterm exam. I was going to give these out on next Friday but I figured you probably needed extra time to study."

"Thanks, sensei," Cabba heard Kale say, though she sounded more dejected than anything else.

"I expect you to pay me back by getting at least an eighty on your exam. You're dismissed."

Quickly, Cabba moved further down the hall, trying to make it look like he was minding his own business.

"Oi."

Cabba startled and whipped around, prepared to start apologizing to whichever teacher had caught him in the act of eavesdropping.

He was not expecting to see a saiyan with a widow's peak and hair styled into the shape of a flame staring back at him. The man, who was not particularly tall but taller than Cabba in any case, glared stonily at the high schooler.

"Where's the gymnasium?" the man asked gruffly. When Cabba merely stared back, the older saiyan scowled. "I was under the impression that brats like you did nothing but flap your gums all day. It appears that I was wrong."

"Ah, right!" Cabba blurted. "The gym's on the opposite side of the school. You won't miss it, just keep walking east."

"Tch. Should have figured." Without even a 'thank you', the saiyan stalked away with his hands shoved in his pockets.

 _Rude,_ Cabba thought disdainfully. _I hope someone throws a basketball in his face._

He heard the faint noise of footsteps and turned to see Kale closing her locker and walking away somewhere. _Probably to study,_ figured Cabba. _Maybe I should offer to help her? I find calculus easy to pass anyway._ It would also be a good way to befriend the lonely girl.

Cabba followed Kale from a distance. Fortunately for him, the girl never turned around. He halted when she did in front of a wooden door with a white kanji scrawled over the plaque attached to it. Kale wrapped her hand around the knob, twisted, and went inside. Before the door could close, Cabba stuck a foot between the door and the doorframe, leaving it ajar. He quietly observed Kale through the gap. _What is she going to do?_ By now, he was already regretting his decision to follow her. Obviously, this was something private for her.

The male saiyan hadn't even walked five meters away when the most beautiful sound he had ever heard wafted through the air. Without thinking twice, Cabba found himself watching Kale stroke the piano keys with her fingers, making it hum to life. Each note resonated in the air as she warmed up with a few simple exercises.

Then she stopped and lifted her head, glancing around.

Cabba felt his heart start racing as she stared at his direction before moving her eyes past it. He knew it wasn't right to observe her like this - his only intention had been to catch up to her and offer to tutor her but things were now spiralling out of proportion. He started backing away but found his feet rooted to the floor when a lovely melody filled the air.

He watched in awe as her fingers danced upon the ivory keys, almost moving in a blur as the music piece she was playing sped up.

It had begun slow and steady but was gradually building up to a climax. Kale bowed her head further than it already was as the rhythm picked up. Her arms moved from side to side as she shifted to play each appropriate octave in cadence.

Cabba, the observer, could only stare in awe. _She's... She's amazing!_

The song ended with a grand forzando. At the piano, Kale sighed, tapping her nails on the notes. Cabba was about to announce his presence when she began once again. It was different this time, Cabba noticed. While her last song had been akin to celebration of life, love and all things good, the tune of this piece was slower... More melancholy.

Regardless, Kale's unknown audience remained spellbound, his eyes following every scale and arpeggio she played, his ears straining to sort out every flat or sharp she produced from the beast that was the grand piano.

Every note she played was sorrowful and mourning. Somehow, that aspect enraptured Cabba even more. It seemed more real - more humanistic than her other song.

There was a loud creak and Cabba cursed in his head, realizing that he was the cause of the noise, having leaned too heavily on the door.

An ugly cacophony of discordant keys sounded as Kale abandoned her song and turned around, alarm in her eyes.

"S-sorry!" Cabba apologized. "I didn't mean to. You play so well and I... Well, I got distracted." When she only eyed him warily, he continued, "I couldn't help but overhear your earlier conversation with Mrs Haruka... I was going to offer to tutor you."

There was a tense pause as the timid girl regarded Cabba.

Cabba was about to up and leave in defeat when she asked, "Why?"

Cabba stopped. "I hope you don't I'm weird or anything when I say this, but..." He rubbed the back of his head. "I just wanted to be your friend."

"Friend?" Kale echoed uncertainly, confirming Cabba's suspicions; the concept was almost entirely foreign to her.

"Well, yes. You see, I don't really have many of my own and I was hoping that you could be my friend." He looked away. "Sorry for invading your privacy like that. Umm, I'll just go -"

"Wait!" Kale frowned. "I... I don't know about friends but, um, I was never here, okay?" With that, she brushed past him. "If you really want to be my friend, please don't tell..."

Before Cabba could ask what she meant, she was gone. He was about to leave himself when a group of girls turned around the corner, halting when they saw him standing in front of the music room.

"What are you doing?" asked the lead girl, a puzzled and slightly disdainful look on her face.

"Nothing," Cabba replied calmly, Kale's pleading parting words still ringing in his head. "I thought I heard something coming from here. When I opened the door, the tarp over the grand piano was pulled aside but there was no one inside."

The girls - Cabba just noticed that they all held some kind of instrument - all nodded. "There's always someone playing the piano in there. It's really annoying. This room is ours."

"Right. I'll be going now. Good luck on your... practise or whatever."

Lunch was nearly over when Cabba finally found time to ate. The bell rang just as Cabba was consuming his second sandwich. He let out a muffled shriek of surprise and quickly ran toward the gymnasium, where trials for the volleyball team were about to take place. If there was one thing he had learnt from the time he had spent with Caulifla, it was that she did not tolerate tardiness in greenies.

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when you say 'run into a pretty girl with toast in her mouth'," a dry voice remarked.

In front of Cabba, Gohan was standing with a familiar face.

"Good afternoon, Gohan-kun," Cabba greeted politely. He nodded to the other male. "Good afternoon... sir."

"Hey," Gohan said with a wave. "You haven't met Vegeta yet, have you?"

 _So that's his name._ Cabba tucked the name and face away for future use. "It's good to formally meet you, Vegeta."

"Hn."

"Did you finally find the gym, Vegeta-sama?"

A wolffish grin appeared on the older saiyan's features. "I did, actually. I'm going to enjoy watching you shit yourself on the court."

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

Gohan stepped between them, sweatdropping slightly. "Cabba, this is Vegeta. He's our new coach for volleyball."

* * *

 _ **A/N: O.o**_


	3. Dreamers

The first years were quite an odd bunch, Cabba decided. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed it before. Mentally deciding to pay more attention to his surroundings next time, he lined up with all the other first years. They were made up of a gigantic yellow bear-like creature, a blue Arcorsian, and a Metalman.

Other third and second years on the team had shown up for the trials as well. They were comprised of a purple humanoid whose hands seemed to be perpetually attached to his pockets and a pair of twins with piercing china blue eyes.

Their Captain, Caulifla, tapped her pen on her clipboard for a few moments before passing both of the items to the blonde female twin. Then she turned to face the new recruits. "Alright guys. From what Gohan-san has told me, we have a new coach watching the trials today. We'll begin by organizing some three-on-three teams. Botamo and Cabba against Magetta and Frost." She glanced at Gohan. "Gohan-san, you'll be joining Cabba and Botamo. And as for me... I'll be teaming with Frost and Magetta."

On the sidelines, the blonde twin scribbled names on the clipboard, Vegeta sidling up next to her. They frostily ignored one another.

"Too bad," the black-haired boy twin mused. "Here I was, hoping that I'd be able to play."

"We can't all get what we want, Juunana-gou-san," Caulifla retorted without looking over her shoulder.

Juunana-gou tossed his sister a glance hopefully but when she only stoically stared ahead, he shrugged and retreated to the sidelines, a good distance away from Vegeta and his twin.

On the court, Cabba readily stood, determined not to let Frost's serve get by him. Around him, the world seemed to move in slow motion as Frost tossed the ball up in air for a jump serve.

 _It's coming,_ Cabba told himself as he watched the ball wobble in the air before descending back down. Almost faster than Cabba could follow, Frost became a blur as he curled into a ball and smacked the ball down to the other side of the court with his thick, powerful tail.

 _What!_ Cabba could only watch helplessly as Botamo did his best to receive, Frost's serve having surprised him also. Earlier that day, they had only see him do a normal serve with his palm like everyone else.

Botamo's hastily formed dig nicked the ball, sending it toward the wall, where it rebounded and dropped to the floor.

Frost smirked as Gohan picked up the volleyball and rolled it back to him.

"Impressive," Vegeta remarked to no one in particular. "He has a powerful and unique serve... But I don't like his face."

The girl next to him briefly regarded him, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "You and me both."

"Hn. So who are you supposed to be?"

"Juuhachi-gou. I'm the manager."

Vegeta had to begrudgingly admit that Kakarot had been right - she certainly was a looker, even if she wasn't really his type.

"Receive!" Caulifla's yell rang throughout the gymnasium. A loud smack resonated as Magetta sent the ball up into the air to the allocated setter. Frost let out a small grunt as his hands cupped around the ball's circumference, nearly botching the set as he tossed it for Caulifla. With a noise akin to a battle cry, Caulifla shot up to the sky and spiked the ball down.

At once, Cabba, Gohan and Botamo jumped up to block the attack. Even so, the ball escaped, skimming past Cabba and Gohan's hands, and plopped to the ground. Gohan sighed. Obviously, this wasn't going to work. Calling a timeout which was approved by Juuhachi-gou, he huddled with Botamo and Cabba.

"Alright," Gohan began. "We're not going to beat them if we keep going like this, even if we've only played two points so far. What we need to do right now is quickly get to know each other. Strengths, weaknesses, whatever."

Botamo nodded. "My receive isn't very good... Sorry about that. My specialty is blocking. I bet I could have gotten the Captain's spike if it had come my way." Though the giant bear had little skill in the jumping parameter, he was big and tall enough to far surpass the top of the net.

"Okay, good start. Cabba?"

The younger saiyan hardly heard his senpai speak. _Strengths... What are my strengths?_ "I'm a jumper," Cabba said slowly. "And a hitter," he added, remembering how he loved the sensation of soaring through the air and slamming the ball into the opponent's court.

"And I'm a setter," Gohan said, nodding.

They discussed a simple plan for defense and offense before returning to the court. Their opponents seemed to have done the same, Frost looking more confident than ever.

"I'm curious," Vegeta said as he observed the players with his calculating gaze. "What are their positions?"

"My brother plays libero," Juuhachi-gou answered, eyes briefly flicking over to where Juunana-gou was standing. "Gohan-san - he's the vice-captain - is the official setter for our team. Hit-san and Caulifla-san are both wing spikers." She flipped through the clipboard to where the first year application forms were pegged. "Botamo and Magetta are middle blockers. Frost is wing spiker."

"What about the short kid?"

"The saiyan?"

An affirmative grunt.

"Unspecified."

Not that he could really say much about it, but Vegeta personally thought that Cabba simply didn't have the right height or build for volleyball. Even so, the coach had seen the kid jump; and hell it had been impressive.

The purple humanoid - Hit, Vegeta assumed - was sitting on the bleachers, his red eyes catching the players' every move. Vegeta frowned, his face contorting into a familiar scowl. Those eyes... That face... All reminded him of Frost. Tch.

Juuhachi-gou blew the whistle, signifying the start of a new point. Vegeta peeked at the tallies the manager had made. Caulifla's team was beating Gohan's by two points.

"Come on, Gohan-san!" Juunana-gou shouted. "Don't let the Cap beat your ass too much! You do have a girlfriend, you know!"

"Shut up," Caulifla snorted from her team's side. "We don't need your input."

"Ah, you wound me so, Caulifla-san."

Gohan sweatdropped at their banter. _Really... No need to bring Videl-chan into all of this..._

A loud smack; the volleyball flew toward Cabba. The ball hissed as it rocketed onto his arms... And rebounded into his face.

"Gah!" Gohan cried, turning around as Cabba hit the ground like a limp doll.

Immediately, almost everyone rushed over to Cabba's side.

"Tch, idiot," Caulifla scolded. "That'll teach you not to zone out during a rally."

"I'm inclined to agree," Vegeta's scathing voice joined in, making Cabba's head spin even more. "Until you can learn to control your daydreaming tendencies, it's clear that you have no place on this team."

"I-I wasn't daydreaming," Cabba protested lamely. _Wha-what happened? I saw the ball coming; I was ready to receive..._ Before the ball had even touched his arms, he had suddenly blacked out before reawakening on the floor with his face throbbing.

But no one was listening. Vegeta hoisted the fallen saiyan up by the arm. Cabba's legs trembled slightly as he balanced himself. "That's enough, Captain," the flame-haired saiyan said to Caulifla. "You should make the decision now."

Caulifla nodded, and, with a silent signal, Juuhachi-gou, Gohan, Hit and Juunana-gou gathered around her.

"You're not partaking in the decision-making, Vegeta-sama?" inquired Cabba, still lightheaded.

"No. Whoever they decide to accept into the club is none of my concern. I'm only here to coach. Nothing else."

After what seemed like an eternity, a verdict was reached. Cabba held his breath as the results were announced.

* * *

To her, everyone was a shadow. Or was it the other way round? She wasn't sure.

Kale opened her locker, sighing when she saw something missing. Her shoes. _I should've brought my shoes with me to dance classes..._ The saiyan female glanced around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her misplaced possession.

Somebody whistled.

Turning around, Kale saw the girls from the Music Club huddled in a group, the lead girl holding something familiar in her hands.

Kale sagged. _Oh no..._ She had managed to avoid them all day until this point.

"You seem to have lost something," said the lead girl, picking at the pair of shoes she was holding with a perfectly manicured finger.

"Please give it back," Kale said sotto voce. "Please, Val."

"Val-senpai!" Val corrected sharply. "You're forgetting your honorifics, _Kale-chan."_

"Sorry, Val-senpai. May I have my shoes back, please?"

"Since you asked so nicely... no. You'll have to catch us first!" Giggling, Val and the rest of her posse ran off down the hall, Kale following them.

Kale managed to chase them all the way to the street outside the school when, in one swoop, the strongest member of Val's cadre, a bulky girl with straw-like blonde hair, threw the shoes to the top of a utility pole.

"Whoopsies!" Val said in a genteel manner. "We're so sorry, Kale-chan! Riku-san doesn't know her own strength." She glanced upward. "Looks like your shoelaces _accidentally_ got tied together..."

Kale merely stared at them. They had won. Again. She could do nothing but watch as Val, Riku and the rest walked off triumphantly, basking in their own glory. With a small sigh, she grappled the telephone pole, grimacing. Those were her only pair of shoes. Like hell she would let more of her family's money go to waste, especially since they could hardly support themselves. The wood scraped against her belly uncomfortably through the thin, worn fabric of her uniform as she slid down the pole after climbing about the length of a ruler.

This was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I'm supposed to be studying for exams but I had this nearly done so I just finished it off. Yes, 17 and 18 are referred to as Juuhachi-gou and Juunana-gou. I just prefer it that way for this story.**_


	4. Hellcat

It was a miracle. A true miracle. Those were the thoughts that circled around Cabba's mind as he changed his shoes at his locker, ready to leave. Everyone had gotten in - whether as regulars or otherwise. In his case, he'd be merely a reserve after his poor performance which left a growing bruise on his forehead. But that didn't matter - he would work hard and improve; climb his way up the ladder and make it to the top.

Cabba closed his locker and exited the school building, softly whistling a merry tune as he walked past the sign which read "Welcome to Sadala Prefectural High School". As he turned around the corner, he blinked at a peculiar sight. A few meters away, a girl from the same school as him was attempting to climb a telephone pole. As he got closer, he could see that her golden-brown skin was covered with grime and scuffle.

"Do you need help?" Cabba offered.

Alarmed, the girl whipped her head around, her eyes wide and filled to the brim with embarrassment. It was only until Cabba was standing right next to her did he realize that she was the girl from earlier - the one who had made such lovely music with the grand piano in the music room.

"Oh, it's you," Kale mumbled, dropping her gaze even further. "W-what do you want?" Her hands twisted in her skirt. "H-have you come to laugh at me too?"

"Huh? No, of course not. You just looked like you needed help."

Kale was looking at him skeptically. She sighed and turned to face the power pole, tracing her eyes along the wood before arriving near the pinnacle, where her shoes hung. "Everything's fine."

Cabba, who had followed her gaze, raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Doesn't seem like it to me." He pointed to her shoes. "Who did that?"

"No one!" Kale answered quickly, backing into the pole. "I was just clumsy. I don't know my own strength. When I tripped I accidentally threw my shoes there."

 _Yeah right,_ Cabba thought. _I'd have to be a fool to buy that._

"Just go. They're my shoes, not yours. I-I can get them myself." She forced a smile. "And if I can't... Well, I can always buy new ones, r-right?"

"I'm not just going to sit by and watch you get hurt." He put down his bag. "Let me." His lean muscles rippled underneath his shirt as he hugged the pole and began to climb.

"H-hey, I said I can get them my-myself!"

Ignoring her protests, Cabba continued to ascend, ignoring the splinters that dug painfully into his palms. "Al-almost there..." With one last push, he was hanging from the very top of the pole. He untangled Kale's shoes from the wire and tossed them down to her. She tried to catch them but they simply bounced off her arms and landed on the concrete. "Sorry! That was a bad throw."

"I-It's fine... I'm just not good at catching..." Kale put on her shoes and slung her bag over her shoulders, preparing to leave. There was no point in sticking around anymore - she had to be home by sunset or her mother, who shifted in and out of reality every day in her bed, would fret and send a search party after her. One that they could not afford.

"Oh," Cabba muttered as he watched her run off, disappointed. Nimbly, he clambered downward, landing on his feet with a soft thump. He made sure to grab his back before walking home, a lone figure against pink and blue horizon.

* * *

Kale had just turned a corner when she ran into something hard. Squeaking in surprise, she fell backward, landing ungracefully on her rump. Her eyes widened in alarm when she was realized that she had run into a _man._ Or rather, another saiyan. She mustered up her remaining dignity and brushed the dirt off her uniform, avoiding his cold onyx gaze.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I-I should have watched where I was going." She made a move to go around him but he lashed out, grabbing her arm. "Eek! L-let go! P-p-please!" Kale tugged vainly. "Please l-let go of m-m-me!"

"What do you think you're doing?" the man said gruffly, coming out from the shadows. Everything about him was regal - his back straight and poised and streaks of his flame-shaped hair glistening red in the light. "I saw what happened." He bared his teeth, sending a shiver down Kale's spine. "Why did you run away?"

"I didn't run away!"

He gave her a flat, unimpressed stare.

"W-well..." She shook her head, determined not let him shake her resolve. "I know what I'm doing! Now let go!" She tore out of his grip, heaving slightly. He merely stared at her like a cat would do a mouse. "What?"

"You're free. So go. Unless you have business with me?"

"R-right..." Kale willed herself to go but found her feet cemented to the ground. "U-um... I've seen you around. You're a new teacher, right?" _Why am I talking to this man?! Why?! I should run!_

"Hn. I'm not a teacher."

"O-oh. Uhh..."

"My turn. What kind of coward runs like that?"

Kale shrunk. "N-none of your business." She tossed her bag over her shoulder. "Goodbye, sir."

Vegeta icily watched her disappear into the distance. _What the hell is her problem?_ He frowned. _Sooner or later she'll have to face her demons. We all do._

* * *

"Maaann, I'm bored!" Goku whined as he flopped down on the bed in the room he shared with Vegeta.

"Kami! Stop whining, you imbecile! You sound like a broken record," Vegeta growled, looking up from his book of volleyball tricks and techniques. When Goku pouted, he groaned and put the book down. "Alright, fine. What do you want to do?!"

"Video games!"

"Fine, but only for an hour. I have to open up shop soon."

One hour of video games later, Vegeta got up from his place on the carpet and stretched. "We're done here Kakarot." He collected a few documents from the bedside table. "I have a fresh bunch of idiots applying for work."

"Aww... Oh well, later, Vegeta."

"Tch. You're lucky you get to work from home, _Bakarot_."

Ah, the weekend. It was a beautiful thing to most people. To Vegeta, it was hell - it was when his establishment was busiest and he and his staff were forced to serve every annoying customer, the majority of them being girls of school age that only came for the cats.

Vegeta unlocked the door and went inside, observing the interior. Cats of all shapes and sizes came up to him and curled around his legs, purring. He scowled at them. "Get off."

"Gee, that's not nice," a joking voice came from behind. "No wonder everyone thinks you're scary, boss."

"Hrr, shut up, chrome dome. I know where you keep your life savings." He sneered. "And I will _burn_ them."

Kuririn jumped and instantly saluted. "Gah! Yes sir!"

"Really?" a girl that just walked in sighed. "And you wonder why business is slow."

"Don't poke the bear, Videl-san!" Kuririn pleaded.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'm going out the back to change into my uniform." She narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare look, you pervs!"

"Fucking hell, I'm not a pedo," Vegeta snapped irritably. "I happen to have a mate who would put you to shame with her assets."

"Sh-shut up! I'm a B you know! _Gohan_ appreciates them!"

"VIDEL!" Kuririn cried, clapping his hands over his ears and flushing red with embarrassment. "I don't need to know about your cup size or your sex life!" He started to chant, "I didn't hear that, I didn't hear that, I didn't hear that..."

Videl merely huffed and walked into the staffroom, slamming the door behind her. "Jerks!"

"Harpy," Vegeta grumbled under his breath. He turned his attention to Kuririn. "Hey. You. Clean the gum from underneath the tables and wipe them too."

"Again?"

"Yes, again. What are you waiting for, an invitation? Get to it!"

"Yessir!" Kuririn grabbed a rag, wet it, and began wiping all the tabletops while scraping old gum off. One stuck to his finger and he cringed in disgust. "Eyuck!"

Vegeta moved stiffly to the counter and started to work with the coffee machines, ignoring Videl's quiet complaining as she came out of the staff quarters fully dressed. Their mochas were always popular on Saturday mornings. It was only until Videl sidled up next to him was he forced to acknowledge her.

"How's Trunks-kun?" she asked by way of greeting. She took out a box of pearls and started to mix them with some coconut jelly, her eyes occasionally flickering to the new bubble tea machine.

"Fine," Vegeta said halfheartedly, the corners of his mouth twitching upward slightly as he thought of his eight year old son, born from a night of drunken birthday sex with Bulma. The purple-haired half-saiyan was now living with his mother in Capsule Corp., living the good life. And then there was Vegeta: stuck running a cat cafe that his father had left for him, forced to live in an apartment with and idiot like Kakarot due to Capsule Corp. being two cities away.

"That's good, I guess." She hummed. "I wonder what it's like to raise a child. There was one girl that got pregnant a year ago. I still talk with her occasionally and she says it's hell."

"Then she's an incompetent mother now, isn't she?"

"Hey! Okay, Angela was a bitch back in middle school but that doesn't mean you can badmouth her like that! I'm sure she's a fully capable mother."

"Oh, shut your whining. I've already had enough from Kakarot this morning."

"Hm? Gohan's dad? Oh yeah! I keep forgetting you guys live together. It's kinda strange if you ask me."

"Shut your trap, girl."

"Boss," Kuririn called from the corner of the store. "You have your first interviewee."

"They're late." Vegeta washed coffee powder off his hands and dried them on his pink apron (the one that was compulsory as far as uniform was concerned). "Videl, man the counter," he added when a brunette walked in with intent to purchase a coffee.

"You got it, boss."

Vegeta jolted when he realized who his interviewee was. He smirked. "Well, well."

Kale balked at the sight of him. "Oh my."

* * *

 ** _A/N: You probably would have noticed by now that ages are skewed._**


	5. Third

"Sit down," Vegeta growled when Kale got up from her seat and tried to walk away. "I'm sick of you running away. Is that all you're going to do?"

"I-I just remembered I h-have an appointment somewhere e-else," Kale mumbled, unable to meet his gaze. "Sorry..."

"You're a fucking liar. Sit. Down." There was a tone of finality in his voice that Kale could not argue against. Looking as miserable as a wet dog, Kale slowly sat down again, folding her hands in her lap. "Tch. I'm ashamed that you are one of my race. You would have been better off being a metalman. Sensitive bastards, all of them. You'd fit right in nicely."

Kale wilted.

"Sit up straight you worm!" Vegeta barked, causing Kale to startle into the position. "Good. Now we can begin."

Kuririn, who had finished taking a young couple's order, shook his head and passed it on to Videl. "Geez, Vegeta's going to eat her alive."

"Tell me about it," said Videl. "Let's see now, two sandwiches and a coke..." She grabbed the appropriate food items, taking the drink from the fridge and the sandwiches from the display. "Here."

"Man, Chi Chi just _had_ to call in sick today," said Kuririn. "Soon, people will be lining for her fried rice and pork cutlets." He adjusted his apron. "I just hope they don't get too angry when they find out she's not here. The last time I broke bad news, some guy threw a tomato at me for making his girl cry."

"Wait, wasn't she your ex, Kuririn-san? That ditz Maron?"

"Don't remind me, Videl-san..." He clenched his fists and inhaled comically. "Those were crocodile tears! Crocodile tears I say!"

"Serves you right for not screwing her properly."

"... Are you sure you're still in high school?"

As the two employees finished up their conversation (which was quickly renewed when Kuririn gave the young couple the desired food items and returned to the counter) Vegeta was indeed 'eating her alive' as Kuririn so eloquently put it.

"So you've had prior work experience?" he queried, his gaze guarded.

"Y-yes."

"Your resume is poorly written. You never specified what kind of experience."

At that, Kale blushed. "U-um, it's really nothing."

"Already keeping secrets from me? I don't take kindly to snakes."

"E-eep! I'm not a snake! Honest!" Kale buried her face in her red scarf. "It's... It's just embarrassing."

Vegeta did not offer her any sympathy. "Suck it up, princess."

"I..." She swallowed and leaned forward, murmuring something. Vegeta's eyes widened slightly as her words entered his brain. With a grim nod, he stood up. "Alright. I'll get back to you."

"T-thank you, Vegeta-san. And, um, please don't tell anyone about my... previous line of work."

"Hn."

As Kale left the store, Videl was staring after her, watching as she disappeared from her line of sight. "I think she goes to my school."

"Neat," said Kuririn, taking a bite out of his breakfast bagel. "You guys friends or...?"

"No. She's a first year and I'm a third year. We don't really talk. I mostly hang with Eresa, Sharpner and Gohan." Her eyes lit up. "Did you know that Eresa and Sharpner have started dating?! They're trying so hard to hide it from me and Gohan. It's so funny."

"Wow! No kidding?"

"Alright, ladies, enough chitchat," Vegeta interrupted, shutting both of them down with a glance. "Kakarot will be coming here in a few hours to buy lunch for himself and the harpy who conveniently happens to be ill. So prepare the sandwiches." His eyes gleamed. "Lots and lots of sandwiches."

* * *

The place was cutesy and pastel pink. _Pink_ of all things! It was a blasphemy in Caulifla's opinion. She was dressed in a plain black shirt and jeans, undeterred by the chilly autumn breeze.

"Disgusting," Caulifla muttered as she inhaled, trying to summon all of her strength. But it was her only option. If she got the job, she and her brother Renso would be financially secure enough for the status quo to remain unchanged. For them to get by. She was the only one who put money on the table and paid rent for their shared apartment. Renso, as much as he wanted to help her, was busy fulfilling his dreams at the Sadala Police Academy. He'd be graduating soon and the annual salary for a police officer was considerably higher than the wages she was getting now.

She was about to enter the store when a piece of paper flew into her face, blinding her. "Mmrph!" She tore it off her visage. "What the hell?!"

"Hey! Sorry about that, are you okay?" A saiyan with hair shaped like the fronds of a palm tree was running toward her, looking frazzled. "Thanks for saving that for me. My boss will kill me if I lose it!"

"I-I'm fine," Caulifla snapped. "You should take care of your stuff better, sir."

"Goku!" A human woman called as she ran toward them. "Did you find it?"

"Yep! Sure did, Chi Chi!"

Quick as lightning, Chi Chi had whipped out a frying pan and was banging Goku repeatedly on the head with it. "Idiot!" she scolded. "You'd better not lose your job now! Especially since I ran into your boss the other day and he's thinking of giving you a promotion!"

Caulifla sweatdropped at the appearance of the fiery woman. _Just walk away,_ she told herself. She was about to when Chi Chi turned on her and grabbed her hands.

The woman, who had just been flaming mad a few moments ago, was now the personification of gratitude. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Uhh, it's fine." Caulifla pulled her hands away, hoping the woman's anger wouldn't be reignited at the action. "I kinda have a job interview to get to..."

"At Neko-Neko?" asked Goku, a prominent bump on his head. When Caulifla nodded, he broke into a grin. "That's great! You'll love it - Chi Chi actually works as a chef at Neko-Neko. One of my best buddies owns the place as well."

"Oh, yeah? Who?"

"Now, Goku!" Chi Chi interrupted. "Let's not keep her away for too long. It's never good to be tardy to your first interview."

Caulifla's brows knitted together, irked by the woman's interfering. "It's not exactly my first... I already have two other jobs." _Why did I tell her that? It's not like I need to prove myself to her or anything..._

At that, Chi Chi slapped Goku on the shoulder. "See! Why can't you be more like her? She's so hardworking... You, on the other hand, spend hours on end watching tutorials on how to talk to giraffes! I should know - I look through your internet history!" She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're lucky that your workload isn't so heavy..." Her legs buckled beneath her and Goku caught her.

"Chi Chi!" he cried, horrified at her sudden collapse. "I told you to stay at home... gosh, Chi Chi, just listen to me for once." He touched her head. "You're burning up, Chi Chi... Lemme take you to the hospital, okay?"

"N-no, Goku, don't! I don't... don't need the hospital... I'll be fine. We can't afford any more expensive bills..."

Caulifla, who had been mulling over Chi Chi's stalking tendencies (who the heck would go through someone else's search history without their consent?!), grimaced. It seemed like she wasn't the only one with financial troubles, though Goku and Chi Chi seemed better off than her and Renso.

At that moment, the door swung open and a cranky someone appeared. "What the hell is going on out here?"

"Eh?! Coach?" Caulifla said. "Hold on a second..."

"Oh, it's you. The captain of that second-rate team. The one that can't get into nationals."

"HEY! Do _not_ even go there! So what if we haven't been at nationals for five years! We'll get there this year! And besides, you're the one who agreed to become our coach!"

"What's wrong with the harpy?" Vegeta asked Goku, ignoring Caulifla's furious protests.

"Bad fever," Goku reported. "I told her to stay at home but she insisted on coming..."

"Bulma-chan could probably fix me up for free," Chi Chi slurred, her eyelids drooping. "Too bad she's all the way in West City..."

Caulifla took a step back. _It feels like I'm intruding somehow... I'll just go inside._

"Hey," ordered Vegeta. Caulifla halted. "Go inside and get a wet towel from one of my workers." Sensing the underlying urgency in his tone, she nodded and headed inside, leaving Vegeta to turn his attention back to Goku and Chi Chi. "Bulma's in the city today. She's having a business conference that's ending right about now. I'll call her to pick you two up." At that moment, Caulifla came back with a wet towel. Vegeta took it from her and pressed said towel onto Chi Chi's hot forehead.

"Chi Chi..." Goku murmured, stroking her hand. "Dammit, I should have forced you to stay back."

"Like you could ever do that, bakarot," Vegeta said. "The woman would have gone full demon mode on your sorry ass."

Five minutes later, Bulma's car arrived with a screech. "Hurry up!" she called, removing her sunglasses briefly. "I own a medical clinic in Sadala City that's only a few blocks away." At the back of the car, the window was rolled down. A young boy was peering through the opening, his lavender hair framing his chubby face. He was staring at Caulifla. She stared back before scowling.

"What are you looking at, chibi?" she demanded.

"H-hah! Nothing. There's nothing interesting about you anyway."

Caulifla held up her fist. "You wanna say that again?"

"Thank you for everything," Goku hurriedly told Caulifla, hoping to prevent a fight from breaking out between the volleyball captain and the heiress' son. "You're welcome to come over for dinner every night!"

"H-huh? Okay?"

As they drove off, Vegeta shoved his hands into his apron pockets. "So. You're here for the job, am I right, captain-brat?"

"... Yes."

"Good. Try not to pick a fight with my son next time. Kami knows the mess you two will make... Now are you coming inside or what?"

Caulifla forced herself to try and not look too surprised. _Wait, hold the phone! That was his kid? Th'fuck?_ Bulma appeared in her mind. _How did someone like him manage to tap that?_

As she entered Neko-Neko for the second time, she spotted a familiar face behind the counter. "Videl-san!" The girl in question had been indisposed when Caulifla had been sent for a wet rag. "I didn't know you worked here, ne?"

"Well you do now," Videl replied. "Welcome aboard, Captain!"

"Oh please," Vegeta scoffed. "I haven't hired her yet. Don't get too excited."

Videl mouthed a "good luck" when Vegeta's back was turned and Caulifla replied with a thumbs up. A bald man who was Videl's coworker was complaining about the amount of wasted sandwiches but Caulifla wasn't listening. She had this. She had to get the job. There was no other option.

But she wasn't about to let her arrogant coach know that.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Enter Caulifla.**_

 ** _I bet if the saiyans of U6 were to have name translations they'd be this:_**

 ** _Kale - sweet, shy one_**

 ** _Cabba - noble one_**

 ** _Caulifla - pure, unadulterated badass that will at a bare minimum give you a major beatdown if you ever mess with her_**

 ** _What is Kale's secret job?_**

 ** _Hmm..._**


	6. Pests

Two pairs of onyx eyes sized up their respective owners; Vegeta and Caulifla held each other's gazes unflinchingly. It was more like an intense chess game rather than a job interview. Even Kuririn took a moment to observe them before turning back to a customer that looked half-asleep.

"So," Vegeta began, sneering mockingly. "What brings the likes of you here to my humble cat cafe?"

"The likes of me?" Caulifla drawled. "What are you implying... coach?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "I am not your coach. Not now, anyway. And you know perfectly well what I'm _implying,_ you shitty captain-brat. Why would someone as arrogant and unrestrained as you take up work in _this_ kind of place?"

"The same reason why a dickhead like you is running the place."

"She's really asking for it," Kuririn whispered to Videl, having overheard that little tidbit. The Satan girl nodded in agreement, trying very hard not to look like she was eavesdropping.

"It only proves that I am capable of being a leader."

"Are you forgetting something, old man? Well, let me remind you: _I'm_ the captain of Sadala Prefectural volleyball team!"

At that, Vegeta barked a laugh, further enraging Caulifla.

Videl facepalmed. "Should we intervene?"

"You can, but personally, I don't want to get boned," Kuririn replied shakily.

"You're pathetic," Vegeta jibed. "You think yourself a leader but you're anything but."

"You don't know anything!" snarled Caulifla. "Stop running your mouth!"

"Prove it," Vegeta challenged. "Prove to me that you can learn a little humility and become a _real_ leader." He grinned - it was almost shark-like. "I am offering you a position here, brat. So what say you?" He held out his hand.

Without hesitating, Caulifla took it. "I say that sounds _great_ ," she seethed.

"Excellent. You'll receive an email about when your shifts start. Do not be late."

"Hrr..." Growling, Caulifla picked up her bag and stormed out of the store.

* * *

"That old bastard," Caulifla grumbled under her breath as the cold wind hit her skin. "He doesn't know anything...!" Something in her bag buzzed and, huffing, she pulled out her phone. It was a call from Renso. She declined it. "Tch."

It hadn't even been five minutes when her phone vibrated again. This time, she answered. "What do you want, Renso? Shouldn't you be busy doing police shit?"

"Caulifla, it's an emergency! You need to come back to the apartment right now."

"What?! What happened?! Don't tell me you left the stove on again." She tried to calm her racing heart. _It's okay. Nothing happened. It's just Renso being an idiot again._

"Everything's gone," he breathed into receiver. "I don't know how or why... but we've been robbed. All the money's gone."

Her heart sank as her phone clattered to the ground.

* * *

"Did you hear, Miyu-chan?" A female student said to her friend on a gray Monday morning. "This year, the Student Council will be awarding prizes to the most popular class stall for the Autumn Festival!"

"Wow, really?!"

"Yeah!"

This was the general gossip of the school. In a few days, Sadala High's annual Autumn Festival would be held in celebration of the Autumnal Equinox Day. As much as it was exciting, it was also terribly annoying, especially if you were a member of the Student Council. And Juuhachi-gou wasn't simply a member - she was the _President._ It was the norm around this time of year for the rest of the student body to bombard the icy blonde with innumerable questions.

"Ooh, Juuhachi-gou-san! Juuhachi-gou-san!"

The female in question sighed as she turned her head. "What?" she asked shortly. The one who had called her name was none other than the irritating president of the music club, Val Megumi.

"Here's the thing," Val blabbed. "Me and my friends from the music club are sooo totally hoping to perform in front of an audience for the Autumn Festival! What do you think, Juuhachi-gou-san?"

"It'll be fine as long as you think you can organize it, Megumi-san," Juuhachi-gou replied coolly. "And don't leave your class hanging. I've heard they're especially going all-out since it's their last year."

"Right! Thank you sooo much, Juuhachi-gou-san!"

"Yeah... no problem." _Tch. It's hard to believe that she's a third year._ How the Megumi girl could act like a bouncing brat astonished Juuhachi-gou. But then she reminded herself that her brother was still stuck in second year because of his own behavioral problems and dismissed her concerns. Whatever. If Megumi wanted to act like a giant fucking baby then Juuhachi-gou would let her be.

Out of nowhere, a chalky hand clasped Juuhachi-gou's shoulder. She sighed without turning around. "What do you want now, Cell?"

Cell, a beastly looking humanoid that bore resemblance to a grasshopper, smirked. "Now, now, _sister._ That's no way to greet your beloved brother. Especially since that brother could have you put in detention for weeks on end."

"Oh no, whatever shall I do," Juuhachi-gou deadpanned.

Cell clicked his tongue. "You're just pissy because it's that time of the year again. Personally, I've never been a fan of the Autumn Festival. I prefer Christmas." He scowled. "These brats are so spoiled. Not appreciating my homemade gingerbread cookies because _it's not the right time of year_."

"Seriously, do you need something? Or have you popped up to annoy me again?"

"Oh, how you wound me," Cell said dryly. "You never change, sister. Always straight to the point. Can't a brother greet his sister in the hallways?"

Taking in the knowing gleam in his eye, Juuhachi-gou was instantly on alert. "Okay. Spit it out, Cell, before I beat it out of you."

"Tsk, tsk. Don't you remember what oto-san said?"

"I could care less about that old bastard! Just say your piece and leave me alone, dammit!"

Cell smiled in a genteel manner as he watched her break. _Nice,_ he praised himself, _mentioning the old man always does get her going._ "Fine, fine." He fished something out of the breast pocket of his tailored shirt - custom made to fit his peculiar build.

Juuhachi-gou's eyes widened. "No."

"Yes," Cell corrected with wicked glee. "See you at practice, sister." With that, he sauntered off, leaving Juuhachi-gou to stare at the paper. With an angry growl, Juuhachi-gou crumpled up the paper in her hand.

 _That dumb cockroach! How dare he interfere with my life like this! Juunana-gou isn't going to be happy... Neither is Gohan._

* * *

"Where's the biology teacher?" Cabba asked Magetta as they settled into class.

"Choo-po!" Magetta replied. Cabba, who was not well-versed in the metalman language, scratched his head.

"Sorry," the saiyan apologized. "Uhh..."

"I can help," the Arcorsian sitting one seat away said. Frost flashed Cabba a condescending smirk. "Honestly, you apes are so uneducated..." He shrugged and shifted in his chair so that he was facing them, twitching slightly when he remembered something. "Say... aren't you the guy who caught a volleyball to the face?"

Cabba flushed and looked down. "It won't happen again!"

"Ohohoho! That was hilarious! What made it even more funny was that it was I who hit that ball over."

"Are you going to help me or not?" Cabba snapped.

"I was until I realized how sad your existence is."

"Choo-po!" Magetta butted in, hoping to stop a fight from happening. "Choo-po choo-po!"

Frost rubbed his chin. "Hmm, you're quite right my metal friend. Very well, I shall be your official translator, Cabba. That's your name right?" Cabba nodded. "And to answer your question, our biology teacher passed away last week."

"O-oh," Cabba said, not really knowing what else to say. "That's a shame."

"Personally, I never liked the man."

"Choo-po!"

Cabba sweatdropped. _Right... okay._

"Magetta says that we shouldn't speak ill of the dead," Frost said helpfully.

"Choo-po! Choo-po choo-po choo-po."

"Don't be ridiculous, ghosts aren't real," Frost said, slightly annoyed. "Honestly, Magetta, next you'll be telling me Santa exists."

"Choo-po?!"

"Of course he doesn't, you nitwit! Wait - gah - don't cry!" Groaning, the Arcrosian slammed his face into his desk as Magetta sniffled loudly.

Cabba rubbed the metalman's back, noting how warm it was. "Hey, there, no need to be so upset. Frost didn't mean it. Right Frost?"

"I certainly did! I mean didn't!"

Cabba facepalmed as Frost fumbled with his words, making Magetta sob even louder. _Goddammit._ Someone tapped on his shoulder and he turned around to face a fair maiden with lime green hair. "Y-yes?"

"What did you do to that poor metalman?" the girl demanded, her pretty visage twisted in a terrifying scowl. "You should know how sensitive those beings are!" She got up from her seat behind Cabba and went over to comfort Magetta. "There, there... Brianne de Chateau is here to make you feel better through the magical power of love!" Brianne planted a kiss on Magetta's metal cheek.

"She can't be serious," Frost whispered to Cabba. Despite the growing dislike he was having for the Arcorsian, Cabba couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Cute though," Frost continued, watching Brianne fawn over Magetta. " _Very_ cute."

"Don't tell me..." Cabba furrowed his brows.

"I'll have her wrapped around my finger by the end of the year," Frost declared to the saiyan, chuckling. "Just you wait, Cabba. Not many can resist my charms."

At last, Magetta stopped sniffling. Brianne's gentle words had finally calmed him down. And just in time too, as their teacher walked in, carrying a book with a ruler between the pages.

"Good morning class," the teacher, some sort of grasshopper man hybrid greeted. "I'll be your new biology teacher. You may call me Cell-sensei."

"Good morning Cell-sensei!" Everyone chanted as they stood up before sitting down at the same time.

"Good, good..."

The lesson went smoothly, though Cell tended to deviate from their current learning about different anatomies to talk about transhumanism and genetic engineering. Whenever someone questioned the ethics of those things, he was quick to shut them down. Cabba could see his eye twitch every time that happened.

When the bell rang for lunch, everyone filed out, chattering amongst each other. Cabba was about to join Magetta and Frost when Cell called back all three of them, ordering to stand in front of his desk.

"Did you need something sir?" Frost asked rather impatiently. "The banana milk in the vending machine is particularly popular and I'm craving one today."

"Oh, hush," Cell said irritably. "I don't need to hear your bitching. I already get enough from it from my sister." He whacked Frost upside the head. "So learn some respect, you upstart."

"H-hai! Gomen!"

Cabba smirked at how fast Cell had shut up Frost.

"Now," Cell began, his voice deceptively pleasant. "A little birdie told me that you three are in the volleyball club."

"Choo-po," said Magetta.

"... Apologies, but my creator did not program me to understand the language of the metalmen."

"Program?" Cabba said.

At the same time, Frost said, "Magetta says yes."

"Wonderful," Cell muttered in a tone that said otherwise. "Anyway, I just want to say," he smirked in that annoyingly condescending manner of this, "I look forward to working with you all... as your faculty adviser."

A loud thump sounded and everyone turned to the doorway, where Gohan stood. He had just dropped his books.

"Ah, Gohan! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Cell said by way of greeting, his smirk growing even wider. "Eavesdropping, are we?"

"What the hell?!" Gohan shouted angrily. " _You're_ our faculty adviser?! When?! How?!"

Cabba, who had never seen the calm, placid Gohan fly into such a rage, recoiled. _What the? Why is he so mad? Cell-sensei isn't the nicest guy around but still..._

"Now, now, Gohan!" Cell sounded like he wasn't having too much fun. "It's not good for you to raise your voice to a teacher. Detention."

"Whoa," Frost muttered under his breath. "Never thought that someone like Gohan would get detention of all things."

Gohan seemed to share the same sentiments as Frost, looking shell shocked. "You can't do that...!"

"Of course I can!" crowed Cell. "After all," his eyes tilted upward in glee, "I am a teacher now."

Gohan merely stood there with his mouth hanging open. A disembodied arm reached out from behind and grabbed him by the ear, pulling him aside, the owner moving into Cabba's line of sight.

"I tried to tell you," Juuhachi-gou said, sighing. "Geez, Gohan. Now look what you've made him do."

"Juu-chan!" Cell greeted. "My, my, this is the second time I've seen you today. Are you finally warming up to me?"

The blonde simply flipped him off and dragged a catatonic Gohan away.

A few moments of silence passed between Cell and his three first year students before they all heard, "DETENTION?! HOW COULD I POSSIBLY GET A DETENTION?! MY MOM'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: I enjoyed writing this way too much.**_

 _ **Cell appears in his 'Perfect' stage in TaT.**_


	7. Rocky

"I can't believe it," Gohan was telling Juuhachi-gou. "Why now? And since when did Cell have a teaching degree? I thought he was just an assistant."

"Dunno," replied the blonde, "but the old man has a lot of connections that could be responsible for the magical appearance of his teaching certificate."

Together, they entered a room specially made for the Student Council. All the members moved aside from the doorway to let the President and Vice President in. One of the younger students flushed as he walked up to Juuhachi-gou with a flower in his hand.

"H-h-here y-you go, Juuhachi-gou-senpai!" he cried, bowing and handing her the flower. "I-It's a gemalia! I-it would compliment your eyes!"

With a bemused expression, Juuhachi-gou graciously accepted the gemalia with a lovely smile. "Thank you, Issei-san."

Gohan sweatdropped as he sat down next to Juuhachi-gou in their numbered seats around the horseshoe shaped table. "Are you sure it's right to lead him on like this, Juuhachi-gou-san?"

But the android only gave him a confused look. "Huh? I don't know what you mean, Gohan-san." She frowned. "But what I do know is that my annoying brother is going to be attending volleyball practice from now on." Juuhachi-gou tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. "Regardless, we can't dwell on that right now. Most of the classes have sent us a submission for their stall or act for the Autumn Festival and we need to approve it."

"Right."

The upperclassmen began to sort through the submissions, their kohais watching carefully to learn from their senpais, asking questions whenever they didn't understand something.

"Hmm," one female upperclassman hummed. "A wrestling match. What do you think, Yamada-kun?"

Her kohai twiddled his thumbs. "I-I don't know, Eresa-senpai. It seems kind of dangerous, don't you think?"

"Just what I was thinking." Eresa put a big fat no on the paper. "Next!"

Once all the submissions were sorted into a pile of those that were accepted and those that were denied, Juuhachi-gou garnered their attention.

"Alright everyone!" the blonde android said, a pleasant smile on her face. "Good work. I hope that you underclassmen got to learn from your senpais."

"Yes!" All the younger students chorused, bowing to their respective upperclassmen. "Thank you very much, senpais!"

Eresa noogied Yamada playfully. "You're totally welcome, Yamada-kun."

"The Autumn Festival is right on our doorstep," Juuhachi-gou said, raising her voice. "But we should start planning ahead for Culture Day and our annual Christmas party. Got that?"

"Yes, Juuhachi-gou-san!"

While everyone else got to work by sharing and writing down their ideas, at the curved end of the table, Gohan and Juuhachi-gou were busy sifting through the submission forms to double check things.

"A wrestling match?" Gohan read off the paper, nodding in approval at the gigantic 'NO WAY JOSE' Eresa had scrawled on the paper. "Man, who comes up with these things?"

"Class 2-C apparently," Juuhachi-gou said dryly. "I'll make sure to give them a special mention at tomorrow's morning assembly." She checked the clock that hung on the east wall. "It's nearly time for after-school practice," she noted. With that, she stood up and cleared her throat. Everyone turned to her instantly and she flashed them a winning smile. "Alright! We've made good progress today! Meeting adjourned!"

* * *

"It's okay, Frost," Cabba soothed the raging beast. "I'm sure they'll have more by tomorrow."

But Frost only twitched his tail irritably. "You don't understand, Cabba... I want my banana milk now!"

"Choo-po," Magetta said, shaking his head. "Choo-po choo-po..."

"That blasted teacher," Frost complained, kicking a can away. "Keeping us in..."

Their lunchtime had been particularly miserable, especially for Frost, who discovered that there was no more banana milk left. Cabba and Magetta had accompanied him after school to try again to no avail.

"It's just banana milk," Cabba said, growing increasingly impatient with the Arcorsian. "Seriously. Just get one from the store."

"It's not the same! You don't get that satisfying noise when the bottle rolls down for collection!"

"Choo-po, choo-po choo-po."

"Don't lecture me, Magetta! You don't know what it's like!" Frost was about to say more when he caught sight of something. Namely, a certain green-haired girl walking past with her two friends.

Brianne noticed his staring and gave him an awkward wave, not really knowing what else to do.

"Who's that?" her brunette friend asked quietly.

"No idea," Brianne whispered back. "But I think he's in my class, Ku-chan."

"He's pretty cute," Su Roas, a girl with purple hair and red rimmed glasses, giggled. "In a weird alien sort of way..."

"Ew," Sanka Ku said, frowning. "No way, Su-chan."

"Ooh, look! He's walking up to us." Su Roas glanced to Brianne. "What do we do?"

"I'll handle it," Brianne said, standing protectively in front of her friends with her arms akimbo. "What do you want?"

Frost smirked. "What? Is it against the rules to say hello to such a lovely woman?" He grabbed her hand forcefully and placed a kiss on it, earning shivers of disgust from Su Roas and Sanka Ku, the latter especially.

"Okay, I take it back. That is so not cute," Su Roas said to Sanka Ku, who nodded in approval.

"You..." Brianne trembled.

Inwardly, Frost was celebrating. _Haha! She's so shy that it's cute. I've got her now..._

"You... YOU CREEP! TAKE THIS! HAAHH!" Brianne landed a perfectly executed roundhouse kick into Frost's face, sending him on a trajectory toward the vending machines.

Following a loud crash, one of the vending machines tore open and cans spilled out, dropping individually on Frost's head.

Brianne huffed and started to strut away. "Come on, girls! Or we'll be late for our club meeting."

"Ooh, you sure showed him," Su Roas cheered, bouncing after Brianne. "Nice one, Bri-chan!"

"That was excellent," Sanka Ku agreed, sidling beside Brianne. "See, guys? This is why I'm pushing you to date women. _I_ don't have these types of problems with my cutie Vi-chan."

"One does not simply become lesbian," Brianne pointed out before they disappeared around the corner.

Back at the vending machines, Magetta and Cabba were helping Frost up, the Arcorsian unusually quiet.

"Uhh, hey... Frost..." Cabba began awkwardly. "I know we're not exactly friends but I just want you to know that it's okay. She'll warm up to you soon... I think."

"Choo-po," Magetta added with a nod. "Choo-po choo-po choo-po. Choo-po!"

"Oh shut up," Frost grumbled. "You're both right. I'll get her soon." His ruby red eyes gleamed. "Soon..."

Cabba and Magetta backed away, sweatdropping heavily as Frost's fingers began to twitch, the Arcorsian's lips peeled back in a menacing smile.

"Honestly," Cabba whispered to Magetta. "I don't blame Brianne-san."

"Choo-po!"

Cabba didn't need any translator to know that Magetta wholeheartedly agreed with him.

* * *

Botamo was on the floor and struggling with his laces when Frost, Cabba and Magetta walked in. The bear-like creature looked at them curiously. "Where have you been? Practice started ten minutes ago."

"And yet you're still here," Frost countered, sneering. "How did a tub of lard like you manage to get in a _volleyball_ team anyway. How are you supposed to run?"

"Hey, knock it off!" Cabba snapped. "Stop talking shit, Frost."

"Yeesh, calm down, monkey. No need to lose your cool over something so trivial."

Cabba refrained from bringing up the banana milk incident again.

"Choo-po," Magetta said to Botamo, clapping his back comfortingly. "Choo-po choo-po!"

"Hey!" Frost snarled. "I'm right here, machine man!"

"Thanks, Magetta-san," Botamo said, looking much happier. "You're right about that! Frost _is_ a major dickhead."

"Seriously?" Cabba cried indignantly. "Am I the only one here who can't understand metalnese?"

"Yes," Frost said. "Because you are nothing more than an uneducated ape."

"What is going on here?"

All the arguing first years turned around to see Gohan and Juuhachi-gou walk in, the latter with a miffed expression on her face. She glared frostily at them. "Well?"

"Cut them some slack, Juuhachi-gou-san," Gohan said, chuckling. "That was us once upon a time."

"Tch. You're too soft, Gohan-san."

"Hey! Juu-chan!"

Juuhachi-gou stiffened. "Shit."

With a jolly laugh, Cell entered the gymnasium.

Juunana-gou, who had been texting someone on the bleachers, lifted his gaze, his pupils dilating. "No way."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sanka Ku's "Vi-Chan" is Vikal.**_

 ** _List of notable "residents" at the school._**

 ** _Caulifla - 3rd year_**

 ** _Cabba - 1st year_**

 ** _Kale - 1st year_**

 ** _Hit - 3rd year_**

 ** _Gohan - 3rd year_**

 ** _Videl - 3rd year_**

 ** _Eresa - 3rd year_**

 ** _Sharpner - 3rd year_**

 ** _18 - 3rd year_**

 ** _17 - 2nd year_**

 ** _Frost - 1st year_**

 ** _Magetta - 1st year_**

 ** _Botamo - 1st year_**

 ** _Cell - Biology teacher/Volleyball club faculty adviser_**

 ** _Vegeta - Volleyball Coach_**

 ** _Brianne - 1st year_**

 ** _Sanka Ku - 2nd year_**

 ** _Su Roas - 1st year_**

 ** _Val Megumi - 3rd year_**

 ** _Haruka - Calculus teacher_**


	8. Freeze

"Well, if it isn't the raven haired beauty," Cell said mockingly, lifting his gaze to where Juunana-gou sat on the bleachers. "It's good to see you again, _brother_."

There was a pause.

Then;

"BROTHER?!" Nearly everyone in the gymnasium cried.

Cabba's head was practically spinning. "Does that mean Cell-sensei is related to Juuhachi-gou-san as well?!"

"Apparently," Frost said, blinking in shock. "What the hell did their parents sleep with?!"

Scowling, Gohan chopped him on the head. "Hey. Don't talk about your upperclassmen like that."

"Alright, bug freak," Juunana-gou growled, jumping down to the floor. "What the _hell_ are you doing back here? What happened to that restraining order?"

"RESTRAINING ORDER?!" Cabba cried, jumping away from where Cell stood. "What?!"

Juuhachi-gou sighed. "It's a long story. One that I'm sure you don't want to hear."

"Easy, there, Juu-chan," Cell chuckled. Both of the twins stared at him, unsure who he was addressing. But Cell made it clear when it continued to speak to Juunana-gou, "You've missed a lot while I was gone. Father made sure that the restraining order has been rendered null and void."

"Bullshit," Juunana-gou accused. "Bull fucking shit!" He lunged at his brother, his fist outstretched in a punch. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Cell." With that, Cell caught the black haired boy's fist and twisted his arm, causing him to cry out in pain. "Tsk, tsk. Attacking a teacher. I'll have to put you in detention."

"Bastard!" Juunana-gou snarled. Juuhachi-gou helped him up and passed her hand through her hair.

"We'll have to get used to him," the blonde android told her brother. She bit her lip. "He's... Our new faculty adviser."

Juunana-gou glared at Cell, who merely responded with a taunting bow from the waist. "No way. There's no way I'll ever accept him!"

"Juunana-gou-san," Gohan said, his voice steel as the vice captain in him reared its head. "Whether you like it or not, there's nothing we can do about it. Trust me, I'm not happy with this new development either." He shifted his hard glance toward Cell.

But Juunana-gou would not look at Gohan. He trembled in what Cabba could only suppose was fury. Then he lifted his head. "If he's joining... then I'm out." He shoved past everyone in his way. Within the span of a few seconds, he was gone.

* * *

She couldn't believe it. For the first time in her life, she was late. Caulifla was _late._ She was never late - not for things that mattered anyway, like volleyball practice. Caulifla had spent her weekend reporting a robbery and trying to scrounge up whatever they had left. They had no insurance - there were far too poor to afford such a luxury. Everything they had built up... everything that _she_ had built up was gone. Lost to the wind.

Angry tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she wiped them away as the gymnasium came into her line of sight. She had already lost enough. She refused to lose the respect of her teammates by showing weakness.

Distracted, she never saw him coming. As she turned the corner, she slammed into someone else.

"Frick," she spat, glaring at the other person. "Watch where you're going."

Juunana-gou glared back. "You watch where you're going."

"Are you forgetting who I am? I am your _captain,_ Juunana-gou-san. You'll do well to remember that."

But Juunana-gou was not cowed. "Oh stuff it. You're not my captain anymore so take your head out of your ass. I don't answer to anyone now. I am sick of you. I'm sick of all of you."

Before Caulifla could retort, Juunana-gou was gone once more. Her visage contorted into a scowl. "What the hell was that all about?" As wild and free as he was, Juunana-gou had never disobeyed her in the past. Never treated her with such disrespect. _What's his deal?_

Now she was in an even pissier mood thanks to him. She adjusted her bag strap before making a straight beeline for the gym. As she opened the doors, she found a cold silence instead of the usual warm chaos. Caulifla raised an eyebrow as everyone turned to her. "What?"

"We've lost Juunana-gou," Gohan reported morosely, glaring at Cell. "Thanks for that, Cell-sensei."

"Oh, please." Cell rolled his eyes. "Spare me the drama. I'm _sorry_ if Juunana-gou decided that my presence was too much for him to handle."

Caulifla stared at the bio-android. "Who's the bug man?"

"Excuse me, young lady, but I am a _teacher_ ," Cell grumbled. "And as of today I am your new faculty adviser."

"There are a few here that seem to have a problem with you," Caulifla noted, glancing between Juuhachi-gou and Gohan before looking at the first years, who didn't look to happy either. "You're not going to cause any trouble, are you, Cell-sensei?"

"Of course not! Do I look like the sort to stir up trouble?"

Caulifla deadpanned at him.

Juuhachi-gou sighed and picked up her bag. "I'll go after Juunana-gou. Knowing him, he's probably gone back home to unleash his anger on our furniture. Sorry guys."

"It's cool, Juuhachi-gou-san," Caulifla said, dismissing the blonde. "Family," she hesitated, "family comes first."

The android nodded and headed out, the door closing behind her.

Caulifla turned her commanding stare to the rest of her team. "Well?! What are you waiting for, a written invitation? Hop to it!"

The rest of the afternoon was filled with the din of bouncing balls and shouting teenagers.

* * *

"What?" Juunana-gou said sullenly as the door to the twin's shared bedroom opened up. "Are you going to persuade me to go back? Because it's not going to work, sis."

"I figured not," Juuhachi-gou replied, sitting on her bed. Juunana-gou was lying face up on his. "But I can try." She tilted her head. "Don't you think leaving the team is a bit extreme?"

"...Maybe." There was a tinge of guilt and longing in his attempt to sound indifferent.

Juuhachi-gou sighed. "Juunana-gou-kun... Just talk to me, dammit. Cell's been around the school for a while now. Yet you never tried to pick any fights with him or threaten to exile yourself."

"That's because he was just there. But now... He's trying to barge his way into our lives. _Again_."

"Yeah... Yeah, I know. But can't you just ignore him? That's what I always do."

"Listen, sis, we may be twins but our minds don't work the same way. While that might work for you, it doesn't for me. I was barely able to tolerate it every time I saw his face in the hallways. And now that he's a teacher... That's even worse. Even Gohan-san was spooked. I could hear him crying over his detention from the other side of the school."

"Heh. That _was_ a sight to behold. It's not every day the teacher's pet gets a detention. I should have recorded his mini meltdown."

"Would you have posted it on the internet?"

"Yes."

"Nice."

The two shared a laugh at that before the room descended into silence.

"If you don't want to come back, then don't," Juuhachi-gou said, lying down on her bed and blinking up at the ceiling. "But I bet the captain would let you back."

"Hah... Unlikely, considering what I said to her when I left."

"Oh no." Juuhachi-gou sat up again and glared at him. "Just _what_ did you say?"

"Ehh... I can't really remember. Something along the lines of her having her head up her ass."

"... You're despicable."

Juunana-gou smirked at the roof. "Oh, please. You wouldn't have me any other way."

"You don't know that."

"Ouch."

* * *

Outside the display window of the piano shop, Kale stared longingly at the pianos up for show as she imagined herself playing such a magnificent instrument. While the school's piano was equally wonderful, it was a pain to play her music on the sly every time. She hadn't been back in the music rooms since the day the male saiyan had caught her there.

Kale blinked. She had never gotten to know his name, yet he knew hers. She felt a pang of guilt hit her heart, the feeling made even worse when she remembered Vegeta's words to her. _Coward. Running away. I'm ashamed that you are one of my race._

Sighing, she walked away. The kind old man that had previously run the shop had passed away a few months ago and was replaced by a crueler, colder shopkeeper. Before that, she would always come to the piano store after school to run her fingers over the finely crafted ivory keys of all kinds of pianos and keyboards.

The sky was darkening, the sun nearly set. She would have to be home soon - thankfully it would only take a few minutes walk. She still had time to buy dinner for the family. Which was food from the convenience store. Her father was out working in a different city, though, judging by the little money he sent them each month, he likely squandered most of his earnings on his favorite moonshine. And her mother... Too ill to even move from bed. Every night, Kale would sit beside her bed and carefully feed her. The action in itself was a fine art that she had perfected over the years.

She had just entered the store when the sight of a familiar someone nearly sent her back out. It was him - the saiyan who had helped her get her shoes down from the power pole. The same one that had caught her pouring out her heart and soul to the school's grand piano. And with him... was the frightening third year volleyball captain.

The male saiyan noticed her first. "Oh! It's you, Kale-san. Good evening." He gave her a wave.

Kale nodded and waved back shyly. "H-hello..." She ducked her head and scurried to a different aisle.

"What's her problem?" Kale heard the third year captain say. The shy saiyan's face flushed. _How embarrassing..._

"I don't know," Kale could hear the male saiyan reply as she grabbed some frozen macaroni and put it in her basket. "I guess she's just shy. I've been trying to befriend her but she won't let me in."

"Hah! Does the ickle first year have a crush on her?"

"I-It's not like that, Caulifla-san! Don't talk nonsense!"

Once Kale had finished grabbing all her food, she headed to the single checkout in the store. Unfortunately for her, Caulifla and the male saiyan were right in front of her. Not wanting her mother to be worried if she wasn't back home soon, she sucked in a breath and stood behind the other saiyans.

Caulifla flitted her glance to Kale but other than that she did not acknowledge the younger saiyan. But the male did.

"It's good to see you again, Kale-san."

Kale could only nod, sending the group into an awkward silence.

"You suck at this, Cabba-san," Caulifla snorted. "Honestly..."

 _So his name is Cabba._ Kale stored that name away in her head for later.

To Kale's misfortune, they all left the store at the same time and walked the same way. Kale tried to change her pace but the pair would always alter theirs too so that they always walked side by side.

"I've seen you around," Caulifla remarked, speaking to Kale. "Always sneaking and skulking around the hallways..."

"I-I don't mean to..."

"Relax, Caulifla-san," Cabba said, smiling tentatively. As if he and Caulifla's relationship had been forged only recently - which it had. "Kale-san... you play beautifully."

Kale's head snapped up. "What." It was not a question.

"Am I missing something here?" Caulifla demanded, chagrined when she was ignored.

"I'm not _that_ good," Kale mumbled, her shopping bag bouncing against her thigh.

Suddenly, Cabba stopped walking. "This is my house," he said, gesturing with his thumb to a house that looked liked every other house on the street. "Thanks for walking with me, Caulifla-san. You too, Kale-san."

"No problem," Caulifla said, smiling slightly. "It's a senpai's responsibility to look after their kohai."

Now it was just the two girls.

"Are you going this way too, Kale-san?" Caulifla asked the first year.

"Yes... my house isn't too far away."

"Mm... So what probed you to go shopping, huh?" Caulifla eyed the contents inside the semi-opaque plastic bag. "Especially for frozen food." A sympathetic expression made its way onto her face. "Financial troubles?"

Kale didn't deign to respond. When they reached her house, Kale didn't not say goodbye.

But Caulifla did.

"'Night, Kale-san."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Hopefully, there'll be more on Vegeta's cat cafe... and then the Autumn Festival... where chaos will ensue._**


	9. Cookies

Renso would not be coming home tonight. Normally, Caulifla would have texted back demanding why but tonight she didn't bother. Earlier today, she had bumped into Cabba on the way home, and, surprisingly, the two had hit it off.

Now she changed her destination from 'home' to Goku's house. She had received a text from him just after Renso's, declaring his intent to stay true to the promise he had made to her on the weekend. How he had gotten her number, she could only guess. Likely from her coach and new boss, Vegeta, if Goku was being serious about being friends with the widow-peaked saiyan.

Caulifla scowled. That same saiyan hadn't showed up for training today. _Why? Even the annoying bug man came. So why couldn't he make it?_

She decided not to ponder too much of it. Instead, she only walked forward, crossing the road at appropriate times and glancing down at her phone to check the address Goku had given her.

Caulifla grimaced and tucked the phone into her pocket before entering the apartment block and climbing up the stairs. _How humiliating... I just hope there's good food._

Finally, she reached the designated room. She wrung her fingers and exhaled before knocking smartly on the door. "Hello?" When no one answered, she pressed her ear against the door. "Anyone home?" No answer. "Goku-san, I'm serious..."

The door was opened from the inside and Caulifla stumbled before straightening. "Gok -" She stiffened. "What are you doing here, Vegeta-san?"

The coach glared at her. "I should be asking you the same thing, captain-brat." He took a step forward, forcing Caulifla to backpedal. "What are you doing at _my_ apartment?"

Caulifla spluttered. "What?! _Your_ apartment?!" She craned her neck in a vain attempt to try and peak behind his muscular shoulders.

"It's not as ridiculous as you make it sound," grumbled Vegeta, moving to block her view with a faint blushline on his face. _First the cat cafe and now this..._

"I must have the wrong place then..." Caulifla sighed and leaned back against the opposite wall. "Great." She rubbed the back of her neck in a rare display of sheepishness. "I'll just go."

"Wait." Vegeta's voice rang throughout the hallways. "What's your problem?"

"Ehh?! _My_ problem? What's _your_ problem?"

"Grahh... I meant why did you come here? Don't you have someplace else to be? It's late." There was a pause. "What about your family?"

Caulifla's gaze hardened. "None of your business. Coach," she added as an afterthought. "I'm gonna go now. Anything else you want to say to me?"

"Tch... Might as well tell you now since you're still here. Your shift starts tomorrow after school and ends at sunset. I'll have a timetable drawn up."

"Okay." Caulifla adjusted the shoulder strap of her sports bag before shuffling down the hallway. "Goodnight."

"Hn. Goodnight, captain-brat."

"Pompous dickhead."

"Arrogant bitch."

Caulifla shot him a look.

"We're not in school anymore. It's fair game."

"Fine, whatever. Bastard."

"Hag."

She disappeared down the flight of stairs. If she was bothered by Vegeta having the last word she didn't show it.

* * *

Vegeta had just finished pouring boiling water to cook his instant ramen when Goku walked into the kitchen, wearing a grey shirt and navy blue shorts. He had a damp towel slung over one shoulder, having just finished his shower.

"Man, more of that stuff?" Goku probed Vegeta, shaking his head. "It's nice and all but it ain't good for your health."

"Save your nagging for someone who cares, bakarot." He stirred his cup noodles with a pair of wooden chopsticks.

"Hehe, sorry. I guess Cheech must be rubbing off on me. She hates that stuff. You should have seen her the last time she caught Gohan eating some. And it was on a date with Videl-san too."

"Tch. Sounds like something the harpy would do... Cockblocker."

"Hey now," Goku chided lightly, throwing the towel in a nearby laundry basket. "She just wants to look out for him. Although now she's focusing more on Goten's studies than anything else." His stomach growled and he groaned. "Maaan, I'm hungry. Got any sandwiches, 'Geta?"

"Fridge."

"Thanks!"

There was a few creaks and the sound of the fridge opening and closing when Goku sat down on the small dining table with Vegeta, sitting opposite him. On the table now sat a carton of milk and a few dozen sandwiches.

"Luckily I already had some fried rice at Chi Chi's place," Goku remarked, taking a bite out of his first sandwich, crumbs dribbling all over the table. "Otherwise I'd have starve to death."

"Shame."

"Aww! I didn't realize you cared, Vegeta."

"Dumbass. I meant that it's a shame that you _didn't_ starve to death."

Goku stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. "Hey! That's mean."

"Oh no, please forgive me," Vegeta drawled sarcastically. "I didn't mean to hurt your _precious_ feelings."

"That's okay, best buddy!"

The shorter saiyan sighed at having his sarcasm lost on his flatmate. _Just roll with it..._ He slurped his noodles. "Someone showed up about ten minutes ago."

"Oh, yeah? Who? Was it Bulma-san? 'Cause I've been meaning to thank her for helping me and Chi Chi. She's all better now; the fever's gone."

"It wasn't the woman," Vegeta stated, drinking the soup in one gulp before tossing the cup in the trashcan. "It was someone from Sadala's volleyball team."

"That's right! I forgot to ask, how are things going for you? Is the pay good?"

Vegeta sneered. "Actually, my position as coach was," he spat out the word, " _voluntarily_. There _is_ no pay."

"Aw, seriously? Tough luck, 'Geta." His fourth sandwich was nearly at his mouth when it halted its journey. "Hang on. You still took the position? Why?"

Why? Vegeta frowned. He wasn't sure why. It was something he had pondered since his first day where he had watched Cabba get shot in the face with a powerful spike from the Arcrosian boy whose name he couldn't remember. Froze or something? Whatever - that didn't matter. The point was that, for the first time in his life, Vegeta was at a loss regarding his decision, even going as far as to skip practice today.

"Vegeta?" Goku was staring at him with wide, innocent eyes. "You there?"

"I don't know." He grew slightly frazzled. "I suppose... it... it gives me a purpose." He instantly regretted saying those condemning words when Goku's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"There it is!" The taller saiyan cried gleefully, shoving the entire sandwich into his gaping maw while pointing at Vegeta. "You've found something you want to do in life!"

"Shut up, bakarot!" Vegeta barked. "It's too early for you to be spouting shit like that. I don't know if it'll actually last."

"Oh, come on. You've been playing volleyball for your entire life. You used to carry a volleyball around with you all the time and force all the kids at elementary to toss for you." Goku's grin stretched even wider, something Vegeta didn't think was possible. "I was the only one that agreed... But still! You loved it enough to impose it on everyone."

"Hrr... I'm sick of hearing your voice, bakarot..."

But Goku merely flashed him an annoyingly triumphant grin, knowing that he had won when Vegeta didn't directly counter his words. He resisted the urge to pump his fist. _Score!_

* * *

"Huh?" Juuhachi-gou bent down and picked up the basket that someone had left at her door. "What the...?" She pried open the note that was attached to the handle. Upon seeing the elegant script, her frown deepened.

"What's that? Smell's good." Juunana-gou appeared behind her. "Smells like..." He sniffed the air. "Gingerbread. Yeah, that's definitely gingerbread. A bit early for gingerbread cookies though."

"It's from Cell," Juuhachi-gou told him bluntly. "Unless you want to eat these, I'm throwing them away."

Juunana-gou raised an eyebrow. "Burn them. Douse them with gasoline and burn them."

"Fine. But it's your fault if the neighbors try to get me arrested for being a pyromaniac."

"Yeah, yeah... Why did he even bother?"

"According to this," she shoved the note in his face, "it's supposed to be a peace offering."

"Ugh. Why can't he stick his nose out of our lives? That'd be the best peace offering he could possibly give us."

"Agreed." Juuhachi-gou crumpled up the note in one pale hand. "Here." She handed the basket to Juunana-gou. "Look after that for a sec, I'm gonna throw the paper in the bin."

"'Kay." Juunana-gou opened up the basket, revealing freshly baked gingerbread cookies. He let out a low whistle. Cell must have been pretty quick on his feet if these were still warm. He looked around, his eyes blue bionic eyes scanning every nook and cranny of his surroundings. Satisfied that he was alone, he rummaged through the cookies, wondering if there was anything else Cell had put in the basket. His hand brushed against something that felt like paper and he smirked. _Gotcha._

Crumbs fell onto the floor as Juunana-gou fished out a photo, blinking in surprise at it. The photograph had been taken when he and Juuhachi-gou were still in middle school. Cell stood between the twins as they all made a peace sign at the camera, grinning broadly. In the picture, Juuhachi-gou wore a camera around her nape, the thick strap covering most of her slender, swan-like neck. She had been an avid photographer back then, snapping everything and anything just because she could. And him... Juunana-gou stared blankly at the half-eaten corndog his younger self had in his hand.

"Cute," Juuhachi-gou's toneless voice sounded behind him. She snatched the photo from his hands and ripped it in half. "But not cute enough." Her eyes flashed. "Don't let him get to you, Juunana-gou-kun."

Juunana-gou nodded, though a tiny part of him wished to take the separate pieces of the photograph from his sister and glue them back together. He tried to harden his heart. He really did.

But Cell had already managed to plant seeds of doubt in his mind.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Now I want some cookies. The lack of reviews makes me wonder if anyone even reads this xD**_

 _ **Oh well - I love writing this fic.**_


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